Methods and devices for controlling the display on a display area of a display device are employed in vehicle navigation systems, for example. The maps displayed in such vehicle navigation systems make it possible for the user to find his bearings. In addition, a route calculated by the vehicle navigation system can be displayed on the map. However, the maps displayed in the vehicle may be used not only for orientation purposes but also for the display of additional information in connection with the map contents displayed on the display area, or other supplementary information with the aid of so-called points of interest and other elements for supplementary information.
In addition, there are navigation systems which can display a section of the displayed map in an enlarged view. However, the rest of the map continues to be displayed at a smaller scale, so that the user will still be able to achieve satisfactory orientation. German Published Patent Application No. 101 55 549, for example, describes a navigation device by which a general map and an enlarged cutaway of the general map can be displayed on a screen simultaneously. In this navigation device, the general map and the enlarged cutaway can be shifted on the screen in synchronism with one another with the aid of a graphics control unit.